After Hours
by madkin
Summary: Missing moments from episodes or in-between episodes. Mostly Jude/Tommy related. / Tommy whipped his head up in surprise. "What?" Kwest glanced to the article and back to his friend. "About this? You think I'm actually hooking up with my fifteen year old artist?"
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters or anything else._

_A/N: I just got into Instant Star a few weeks ago and decided that I wanted to write like the missing moments between scenes/episodes. Mostly it will be Jude-centric and Jude&Tommy-centric. This is just a fun thing for me to do. I have other stories in other fandoms that will be prioritized over this, so I can't promise these will be super long or updated consistently, but hopefully they'll be fun for me to write and for you guys to read. Enjoy! :)_

* * *

**Even Better Than the Real Thing**

Kwest chuckled as he watched Tommy walk into the studio and collapse into his regular seat with a sigh. Tommy closed his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Long night?"

"You have no idea," Tommy groaned. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again, "Although the blonde was definitely worth it."

Kwest rolled his eyes at his friends antics. No matter how much his friend had grown as an artist and producer he was still playing the role of the bad boy. "Did you see the paper this morning?"

"Nah, man. You know I don't look at that stuff."

Kwest dropped the tabloid in front of Tommy. "Maybe you should."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "What are you talking about?" He took a moment to focus on the front of the tabloid. It was him…with Jude. "Great," he muttered as he flipped open to the actual article. They had managed to capture the one time he'd actually met with her since their meeting the day before.

"Anything you wanna tell me?"

Tommy whipped his head up in surprise. "What?" Kwest glanced to the article and back to his friend. "About this? You think I'm actually hooking up with my fifteen year old artist?"

"Those pictures are pretty bad, T."

Tommy took a closer look at the few pictures that had been enlarged to engulf the whole page. They weren't that bad. They both had their clothes firmly on and no hands were in any red-alert territories. As far as pictures went they were definitely tamer than some of the ones the paparazzi had gotten in the past. "So what, I'm sitting next to her? What's the big deal?"

"You have your arm around her."

"I was strumming the guitar," Tommy replied defensively.

"And the eye contact?"

Tommy rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh, no. Better slap some cuffs on me right now."

Kwest sighed and pointed to the pictures accusingly. "She looks like she's getting lost in your eyes."

Tommy gave a last fleeting look to the pictures before closing the tabloid. "We were working on her song, man. That's it."

"Whatever you say, T."

"Can we just get to work?" Tommy snapped.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters or anything else._

**Come As You Are**

Jude sighed as she sunk further into her seat at the back of her study hall. She couldn't believe she lost the cover in less than a day. Had she done something that would make them take it from her? Startled out of her thoughts by the vibrating in her back pocket she pulled out her phone.

_Hey. Don't worry about what EJ said._

_-Tommy_

Jude shifted in her seat. How did he know?

_I'm not._

_-Jude_

_Sure_

_-Tommy_

_Don't worry about what Sadie said either_

_-Tommy_

Jude's eyebrows furrowed. What had Sadie said that would make her worry?

_You looked good. At the shoot._

_-Tommy_

She felt a small smile overtake her lips.

_Thanks_

_-Jude_

Tommy thought she looked good. Did that mean he liked her back? No. No way. Not after the kiss that shall not be named. He just thought she looked good. In a skimpy school girl outfit. She laughed out loud at the thought. He was probably just being nice. Yeah, that was all.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters or anything else._

**Hey Sister**

Tommy tore his eyes away from Sadie to focus on Jude. She was softly singing trying to find the right words for the next line. He always found it hard to stay in reality whenever they wrote together. He would get so wrapped up in the song and their connection. Today, however, he was finding his eyes drawn to Sadie whenever he could break away from Jude. He loved making music with Jude, but Sadie was definitely something to get distracted by. Especially since he knew getting so wrapped up with Jude was bad. She was only fifteen and Sadie, well, Sadie was eighteen.

* * *

Tommy glanced over to see Jude sulking in the passenger seat. "You have to talk to me eventually." She didn't bother to look at him or respond, but he could see her fingers itching to turn the radio on. He had intentionally left it off, thinking that it might force her to break her silence. They hadn't spoken since their argument at the house."Come on. We just wrote a killer song." She shifted further towards the car door. Maybe that wasn't the best topic to bring up. "You can't seriously be mad at me." She turned her head to glare at him. "Okay, I guess you can be." He let her sulk for another ten minutes before reaching over with his right hand to nudge her thigh. She looked over at him with one eyebrow raised. "Are you really mad at me?"

Jude rolled her eyes. "No, Tommy. I'm not mad at you at all."

He glanced over at her a few times. She still seemed like she was sulking. "Really?" She didn't answer, so he nudged her thigh again. He guessed she'd had enough because she reached out to turn the radio on.

* * *

He pulled the Viper up to her house and killed the engine. Before he could say anything she got out and grabbed her stuff from the back. He sighed. "Hey." She turned around half way up to her house. "Are we gonna be okay?"

Jude paused. She was hurt and kind of angry. But he was a great producer and they clicked musically. "Yeah. We'll be fine, Quincy."

He nodded, satisfied. He slipped his sunglasses back on and started the engine before peeling away from the curb.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters or anything else._

**You Can't Always Get What You Want**

Jude stared at her phone before deciding she had nothing to lose. She flipped it open and started typing.

_To: Tommy_

_Normally I'd be angry_

_To; Jude_

_But…_

_To: Tommy_

_I guess I'm kind of thankful that you gave me an out_

_An out I didn't need_

_To: Jude_

_You wanted to go out on a publicity date with Shay?_

_To: Tommy_

_No. But I didn't need you. I could have said no_

_To: Jude_

_We both know that's not how it works with EJ_

_To: Tommy_

_Good night Tommy_

_To: Jude_

_Good night Jude_

Jude sighed as she flipped her phone closed. He'd sounded like he thought he was just doing her a favor. Not like he had been jealous. Even though earlier she kind of thought that's what had happened. She'd tell Kat tomorrow and see what she thought. Maybe she'd think he was jealous too. And if they both thought he was jealous, then he probably was. Right?


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters or anything else._

**I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend**

Tommy sighed as he watched Sadie close the door to her house. He felt bad for leading Sadie on, but he couldn't risk it. Sadie was pretty and fun and eighteen, but last time he'd let himself go there with her Jude had been upset. Very upset. And he wasn't willing to give up working with Jude because of a pretty blonde.

Working with Jude was like nothing else. She really got him and they made great music. Music he could be proud of. And he knew that because of their connection the line between professional and friends was blurred sometimes. If he was honest with himself, he'd admit that most days they were more like friends than anything else. But that's all it was. Friends. He would never go there. He wanted to keep working with Jude. So Sadie and he just couldn't happen.


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters or anything else._

**Before Unsweet Sixteen**

Kwest furrowed his eyebrows when he heard a familiar ping. Glancing to his left he saw that it was what it sounded like, a phone. Tommy was scrambling to get it out of his pocket to make it stop. Tommy flipped it open before typing something back and shoving it back in his pocket. Tommy never let his phone distract him in the studio, ever, so Kwest shrugged it off as a one-time thing.

He was wrong. The phone pinged three more times before Tommy managed to take it off ringer. Still Kwest decided to ignore it. Maybe it was some one-night stand that just wouldn't leave him alone. Or some magazine that really wanted Tommy's story after 'Boyz Attack'. Occasionally, the media would make a stink about 'Boyz Attack' and Tommy would get bombarded.

He was honestly trying to give his friend the benefit of the doubt and respect his privacy. But then Tommy stopped putting his phone back in his pocket and instead placed it in front of him on the soundboard. Apparently, he wasn't even trying to get rid of this person.

Kwest hit a few buttons before the music paused in their headphones. "Who is it?" He nodded to the phone that was resting beside Tommy's arm. Tommy glanced down to it right as it lit up. He picked it up and was scanning the screen within seconds. "T."

Tommy glanced up to his friend as he hit send. "It's no one, man."

"You planning on texting 'no one' all day?"

Tommy sighed. "Maybe. I don't know." To be honest he hadn't even meant to be texting her this long.

Kwest shook his head. "Come on, man. Who is it?"

Tommy sighed. "It's Jude, alright?"

"Seriously?" Kwest asked surprised. He knew that Jude and Tommy made great music, but after hours chit-chat? Tommy widened his eyes in annoyance and nodded. "Are you talking about a new song or something?" Kwest could see the two trying to write lyrics over text because they were so amped up to write.

"No. No song."

"Then what could you be talking to her about for the last hour?"

Tommy shrugged, not wanting to answer. To be fair, it had started out as Jude needing someone to talk to about her parents and their fighting. The fact that it had turned into teasing twenty minutes ago was…something else. "We just talk."

"About what?"

Tommy groaned as he realized Kwest wasn't going to drop this. "Can we just work now?"

Kwest rolled his eyes and muttered something about not working to begin with.

The nest time Tommy's phone vibrated Kwest made a move to try to get to it before Tommy could. He knew it was low, invading his friend's privacy, but the texting still had't stopped. He could see Tommy in his peripheral groaning and slouching back into his seat as he read the text.

_ha ha. my turn. would you rather perform pick up the pieces in a crowded mall or go to a jessica simpson concert?_

"Are you done?" Tommy sneered as he leaned forward suddenly to take his phone back.

"You're playing some drinking turned texting game? With Jude?"

Tommy shot a glare at his friend before returning to the screen "I'm not… We haven't… It hasn't been like _that_." Kwest rolled his eyes. His friend was known for doing exactly _that_. "It hasn't! We haven't crossed any lines, alright?"

"I hope you know what you're doing, T." Kwest felt some pity for his friend. He knew that Tommy had been really conflicted over his connection with Jude. But still. She was fifteen. In a few years, he could maybe see them being cute together, but right now? Right now, Jude was jailbait.


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters or anything else._

**After Lose This Skin**

"You're still avoiding me."

Jude crossed her arms over her chest as she sighed. "No, I'm not."

"You haven't answered any of my texts and you won't talk to me about anything except your album."

"Well, you are my producer, Tommy."

"Don't be like that."

"Like what? What am I being like, Tommy?"

Tommy paused for a moment as he glanced around them. In a softer voice he whispered, "I didn't mean what I said."

Jude sighed and looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Tommy waited to see if she would turn back to him, but she refused to meet his eyes. "It wasn't a mistake, okay?" Jude looked at him with wide, confused eyes. "But, you're still only sixteen and this just… we need to stay focused on the music, okay?"

Jude let out the breath she was holding. "Yeah, okay."

Tommy nodded to himself. "Okay. Good. I'll see you later."

"See you later." Jude whispered as she watched him walked towards Studio B.


End file.
